The invention provides a visual indicator or display for use with medication containers that signals to the patient or user that a medication (or dietary supplement or the like) has previously been taken within a particular preceding time interval and should not be taken again.
A timer device of this generic type is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,625,334, by the inventor identified in the present application, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. For this purpose, the ""334 patent provides a medicine (or dietary supplement) bottle cap which superimposes a liquid crystal display on top of a permissive indicator, such as a smiling face caricature of other graphic, as shown in FIGS. 5a and 5b thereof. When the bottle cap is opened and closed, the liquid crystal is energized, and created a pattern of opaque lines or bars over the permissive smiling face graphic. The liquid crystal display remains energized for a length of time equal to the timing between prescribed dosages of the medication contained in the container. When that period of time expires, so that it is permissible for the patient to take another dosage of the medication, the liquid crystal display is de-energized, so that the opaque pattern superimposed on the permissive indicator disappears. Thereafter, when the patient inspects the container lid, he or she sees the permissive indicator, signaling that it is once again permitted to take a dosage of the medication.
The signaling arrangement disclosed in the ""334 patent is binary in nature. That is, it signals only that it is, or is not, permissible to take another dosage of medication. The user of the device is therefore unable to determine from inspection of the display how long it will be until the next dosage of medication is authorized.
One object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide a medication or dietary supplemental container of the type described, that signals permission for the next dosage of medication to be taken, and also provides the user with an intuitive, easily understandable visual indication of the amount of time remaining before the next medication dosage is permitted.
This and other objects and advantages are achieved by the present invention, which includes a display device in which a permissive indicator, such as a smiling face or the letters xe2x80x9cOKxe2x80x9d or the like, is progressively uncovered as the prescribed time between medication dosages expires. For this purpose, a substrate with the permissive indicator printed thereon is covered by a liquid crystal display comprising a series of adjacent parallel substantially opaque line segments, bars, or other display elements, which block the visual permissive indicator when the liquid crystal display device is initially energized (by removal and replacement of the container lid) in the manner disclosed in the ""334 patent. The opaque line segments or bars of the liquid crystal display disappear progressively as the danger associated with taking a second dose diminishes with elapsed time. All elements of the liquid crystal display are dark at the beginning of the cycle, and none of them is dark when the time has fully expired, so that the permissive indicator under the LCD elements is fully exposed. In this manner, the user of the medication bottle is provided with an easily readable and understandable intuitive indication of the amount of time remaining before an additional dosage can be taken.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.